In The News

Reuters: The EU and Merkel's Departure

Alastair Macdonald November 1, 2018
Angela Merkel is stepping down as her party’s leader and said her fourth term as German chancellor is her last. Some analysts anticipate “prolonged paralysis and a Germany less inclined to share its wealth and locked in confrontation with its neighbours” and others hope for a stronger coalition supporting integration, explains Alastair Macdonald for Reuters. The next leader for the Christian...

The Economist: El Salvador’s Óscar Romero Canonized

October 31, 2018
After 40 years, the Vatican canonized El Salvador’s Archbishop Óscar Arnulfo Romero as a saint, and the Economist describes this as a “controversial” choice: “Often seen as ideologically left wing, he was above all a martyr for his faith and his church.” In the 1970s, El Salvador’s long-ruling coffee oligarchy and army were confronted by left-wing trade unions and peasant groups, with aid from...

Lawfare: Fear, Loathing in the Global Middle Class

Raj M. Desai October 31, 2018
The global economy has reduced poverty and increased the ranks of the middle class. For the first time in recorded history, people who earn enough for a comfortable life outnumber the poor. “But without a functioning system of social protection on which middle class individuals can rely, the growth in their numbers also carries significant risks of democratic retreat, conflict, and instability,”...

New York Times: Hate Poisons America

October 30, 2018
A ready supply of high-powered guns combined with hateful online rhetoric and brutal attacks on specific communities – the most recent a shooting in a Pittsburgh synagogue and bombs mailed to leading Democrats – demonstrate how hatred can consume entire societies. Americans no longer feel safe in their schools, workplaces, places of worship or entertainment. In Pittsburgh, the gunman shouted, “...

Korea Herald: Rise of Startups in North Korea

Cho Chung-un October 30, 2018
Economic sanctions against North Korea over the past decade increased unemployment and poverty, but also encouraged innovation. As a result, the country reports a rise in startup businesses as North Korea engages in more dialogue with South Korea and the United States. Choson Exchange is a nonprofit based in Singapore that has trained more than 2,300 North Koreans on economic policy and...

Medium: Lawsuits Stifle Environmental Opposition

Rebecca Renner October 29, 2018
Environmental activists strive to delay development of sensitive lands. In turn, development firms rely on courts to stop the interference. Maggie Hurchalla, 77, opposed development of 2200 acres of sugarcane fields near Lake Okeechobee and pollution described as the source of red tide outbreaks along Florida’s coasts. Her activism focused on public water supplies and storage and transfer of...

The Economist: Saudi Arabia’s Alliances Tested

October 28, 2018
The murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey has put pressure on the US government to reassess its relationship with Saudi Crown Prince and de facto ruler Mohammad bin Salman. However, Donald Trump may be willing to look the other way as the crown prince continues to shield himself from blame over Khashoggi’s death. Turkey is making “a whitewash more difficult” and “Its investigators...